Raw Bones
by practically geriatric
Summary: Skulduggery and Valkyrie have finally tracked down Nadir. Once again shunted to a strange new world, will Valkyrie find a way home? Will she be able to survive a world where the dead come back to kill the living?
1. Chapter 1: Cleveland

Apparently, it had taken Skulduggery 5 years to track down Silas Nadir. The slacker.

"You're only now getting around to that scumbag?" Val asked

"He's a shunter. He probably shunted. I'm rather impressed it only took me five years."

"You were moping, weren't you? You missed me."

"I enjoyed the silence, actually. It increases productivity."

"You missed me."

He whacked her upside the head. "And you've gone soft."

"Ow!"

"Now be quiet, or he'll scamper before we can cuff him."

"You're the one who hit me!"

"You're the one who spent the last five years moping."

"We can't all rejoin the Dead Men to make up for almost destroying the universe."

"No, but you could have at least studied your magic."

"It'll be fine. Like riding a bike."

His head tilted to one side. "You can ride a magic bike?"

"No, it's a saying… it's muscle memory… like riding a bike...you never forget how to do it…"

"What does riding a bike have to do with magic? Do you need training wheels now?"

She didn't have time to retort - they'd reached the pub. Skulduggery tapped his collarbones and slid a hand over his revolver. Val pushed open the door.

The place was small, dingy, and poorly lit - exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find a convicted serial killer. Green glass lampshades covered only a handful of the lights that hung from the ceiling, the rest were either bare or broken. Deplorable pool tables were surrounded by sticky wooden furniture. The bar itself began on the left wall, curved at the corner, and continued along the wall opposite the door. Val could just make out Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin playing beneath the din of drunken argumentation. All things considered, any public places - especially one frequented by people with little to no discretion - are not a prudent choice when one is evading capture. Perhaps the idiot thought no one would check Cleveland.

Silas was sitting on the right wall, with a clear view of the entire room. He would have seen them come in, if he hadn't been in the middle of an argument. His face was red and contorted, his voice a hot second away from becoming hoarse. At the moment, the attention of every person in the room was directed towards those shouting voices, so no one bothered to notice the two latest patrons. His adversary was tall and thin, with stick straight jet black hair that threatened to touch his shoulders. If he had been wearing black robes instead of a navy blue coat and white pants, he could have passed for Severus Snape.

"Hide in the corner and guard the door," Skulduggery muttered. "You're old enough to flirt, right? If we're lucky, Silas still thinks you're in hiding, and that gentleman will actually give you his number."

Val glanced at the man in the corner. He was short and round and his nose was about as big as his face. Also, he looked to be in his 80s, which meant he was either 80 or 800 and neither option was acceptable.

"I am _not_ going to go flirt in the corner while you pick a fight."

"You're the one who likes to have a plan. That it the plan. When Nadir makes a run for it, you get to hit him." With that, he stalked off before their query noticed the newcomers.

Valkyrie did not go to the corner, but she did lean up against the wall and pretend to check her phone. She looked up with everyone else when the room fell silent.

"You." Silas' face went pale.

"Me."

Silas made a dash for the back room, but Skulduggery cut him off, punching him in the jaw before he could muster up enough concentration to shunt. Nadir chucked a chair in response, and Val watched as Skulduggery pretended to be caught off guard. Nadir took the bait, and sprinted towards her, focusing on the door.

She put her foot out.

The noise he made as he slammed into the floor was priceless.

She got her knee onto his back and used her right hand to grip Nadir's wrist while her left searched for the cuffs. Why hadn't she thought to have them at the ready? Nadir twisted and struggled against her hold on him, using his free hand to push his side off of the floor. Val could hear the other customers beginning to give Skulduggery a hard time - apparently, Silas owed many of them money, and they weren't too keen for him to go to prison and avoid repaying them.

With a grunt, Nadir wrenched his wrist from her grip and turned himself over. Her knee struck the floor and sent needles shooting up her spine - if it weren't for Ghastly's design, it likely would have shattered. Now he was sitting up, clawing at her face. She brought her hand up to send lightning into his system, but it was too late. The familiar sensation of vibration into another dimension began to take hold.

She fell three feet and landed on her face, the cement of the sidewalk scraping her exposed hands and jaw.

...

"Where is she?" Skulduggery's voice was dangerously quiet.

"I told you, I don't know," Silas replied with a smirk. "I was going to just send her back to Mevolent, but, like I said...her lightning interfered. She could be anywhere and there is nothing I will do about it unless I get full amnesty."

"That will not happen."

"Of course it won't. What _will_ happen is I'll sit back in a goal cell, basking in the knowledge that you have finally lost that girl for good. There may even be people who will thank me for doing so, her bad side was that nasty. Whatever scheme you're thinking of now, I'm telling you it won't work. I do not trust you. Even if I saw the Grand Mage sign a document myself, there is no way _I_ will cooperate with _you_."

"You seem to be under the impression that I am going to be working with the law on this one. That is incorrect. I have no inclination to play by the rules just now. "

Silas gulped.

"You are not at the Sanctuary. You are not in an interrogation room. You are in my hands. And my hands are going to rip you apart joint by joint if you do not cooperate. Starting with your toes. Possibly your eyes. Now, I ask you again, where is she?"


	2. Chapter 2: Plan G

"Watch out!" Someone yelled as she got to her feet. She heard glass shatter on the pavement in front of her, only a few feet away, just before the explosion sent metal shards scraping against her face. Crying out in pain, Val brought her hand up to cover her eyes from the blinding light. She stumbled back.

"George! You missed! You're supposed to hit the ghost, not the girl! Honestly, why we even bother giving you bombs to throw..." Another voice - a girl's.

"Lay off, Lucy! At least she's not Ghost Touched." Val assumed this nasal voice belonged to George.

Forcing the pain into a corner of her mind, Valkyrie blinked her eyes open and quickly examined her surroundings. It was dark, and icy cold. There was a foul taste in her mouth - probably a result of shunting - and she had the strongest desire to simply give up and let herself be bombarded on the neighborhood sidewalk. She was clearly in danger, but she couldn't be sure if she was the girl that George was not supposed to be aiming for. As far as she could tell, she was the only creature on this side of the road, but five figures were quickly making their way across the street, coming right towards her.

"Miss!" Said the voice she'd first heard. "You really ought to run - that's a raw bones crawling towards you." Her eyes still stung from the explosion in her face, but she could at least tell that this boy was the tallest. Outpacing the group, he carried himself like a leader.

"A what?" She tensed, taking a default defensive stance. The kids looked young, but she had been beaten by single fighters that were younger than her before. They could be older than they looked, if this world was anything like the alternate reality she'd visited before. She did not like her chances going up against five people at once. Especially since, now that she noticed, every one of them had a thin sword in their hand.

"Run!" That was two voices at once. Valkyrie whipped her head around, trying to see the danger. Out of nowhere, she felt the coldest burning sensation pierce through her ankle. She watched, falling back on her bum, as the tallest one began to slash at the empty air around her. He shouted orders as he did so.

"George, set up a perimeter of Iron. Holly, see to our new friend. Kipps, cover me with the iron filings, and Lucy keep an eye out for the Source. Plan G, everyone - Plan G!"

The chill was seeping up her leg now. She would be able to stand on it - probably. For about a minute.

A young and beautiful, dark skinned girl raced to her side. Val assumed this would be Holly. Opening a bag, the girl pulled out a wicked looking syringe and tried to send it through her pant leg. The needle broke promptly in half with a sharp _chink_. Holly stared at the syringe, dumbfounded.

"Here." Val said, rolling up the fabric. Her skin was turning blue. "I'm turning BLUE. What kind of sorcery is this? Do you have another needle?"

"Y-yes. Right here. Hold still now, please. In a few minutes you'll be right as rain!" The girl was no Kenspeckle Grouse - she had an air of obsessive perfection about her that Valkyrie immediately disliked. Holly's accent was smooth and posh, like a London movie star. Still, Val knew she had no choice but to trust the stranger with the syringe. She was slowly turning a frosty blue.

Val winced as the medication was sent rushing into her system. This was probably a bad idea. Her body would probably react to whatever was in that needle. It'll probably kill her.

Death, however, seemed slightly preferable to turning _blue_.

"We should probably take your boot off, before your foot swells too much." The girl said kindly. Val belatedly realized just how tight that shoe was beginning to feel, and did as the girl asked. She set it aside.

The rest of the group continued to make a great commotion. Val did not want to let her guard down, so she watched wearily as they slashed against some unseen entity. She tried not to think about how silly the kids looked fighting an invisible enemy, especially since she was clearly in danger and they were obviously protecting her from it.

"What did you say was attacking me?"

"A raw bones. This one is particularly nasty. I won't miss seeing ones like these in the next year or so."

"What's a raw bones?"

"You don't know?"

"I'm not really from around here."

"Oh! Well, it's a type two specter that takes on the shape of a rotting corpse." Holly sounded like she was rattling off a textbook definition. "They're particularly vengeful and are highly likely to attack the living. George says this one was probably a murder victim, a man by the name of Wallaby, who was bashed in the head during a mugging about 55 years ago."

So, the thing that thad attacked her was a ghost. That would probably explain why it had gotten through Ghastly's clothing.

By this time, the one with the poor aim - was it Greg? - had finished encircling them in iron chains. He stood next to them, sword drawn, obviously on guard against whatever had attacked her. Focusing on their surroundings, he seemed to be paying no attention to the girls in the circle and instead shouted instructions to the others. For some reason the bad taste in her mouth was gone and the temperature seemed to be more bearable. Chalking it up to the medicine, Val glanced back at her leg. It was still blue.

"My name is Holly Munro," the girl continued, sticking out a perfectly manicured hand. "We are the operatives of Lockwood and Co."

"I see…" Valkyrie lied, doing her best not to laugh at the unintentional rhyme. "You can call me Val. And you can see it now, that raw-bones thing? But you won't be able to later?" She hoped this was a valid question, remembering the awkward conversation with the mortal from Mevolent's realm as she spoke.

Unfortunately, it appears as if she was not that lucky. The girl's face became utterly bemused, albeit attractively so.

"Only children can see ghosts...everyone knows that. Where did you say you were from again? You sound like you're from Ireland...Isn't the Problem there, too?"

"What problem?"

" _The_ Problem."

"Uhm… maybe. I haven't been home for awhile." Unsure of how to get herself out of this, Val decided to distract her with another question. "And what, exactly, did you just put in my bloodstream?"

"Adrenaline, of course. Don't worry - I'm certified in first aid by the Rotwell institute. For all their recent political problems, I can assure you the safety training is still top notch."

"Okay, then. Good for you."

With a cry of triumph, the other girl tossed a silvery net over a dislodged brick in the pavement. Everyone else visibly relaxed. Valkyrie, on the other hand, tensed. Now that this other danger had been taken care of, she had no reason to think that the others wouldn't change their minds and view her as a threat. She got to her feet, just in case.

"You really should stay seated. Getting you to a hospital is the safest option." The girl - Holly - said as she stood alongside her.

"I'll be alright." Another lie. She tried putting weight on her bare foot, but it was agonizing. A noise from behind her caught her attention - she recognized the sound of heavy footfalls. Lots of them.

They were surround.

"What the…?!"

Men in black clothing - at least two per kid - began to close in on the group. They hadn't accounted for Valkyrie, but that didn't stop an enterprising thug from going for her anyway. Meaty hands reached for her throat, but Val was quicker. She headbutted him in the nose, grabbing his outstretched wrist to bring his momentum towards her knee. She may not have been able to walk on that foot, but the knee was still useful. He fell to the ground, winded. Val took that opportunity to stomp on his ankle to keep him from getting up, ignoring the pain as she put weight on the swelling blue appendage.

Two were coming for her now. She did her best to stay standing. It was slightly easier now that her foot was going numb, but the sensation was unsettling, and it sent pinpricks of pain up her shin. One man made to grab for her hair while the other aimed his fist for her face. Leaping away, she only had a moment to savor the sound of the one adversary hitting the other in the jaw before taking the offensive. Her elbow slammed into the "puncher," and she finished the two of them off by smacking their heads together. If the rest of the thugs were as dim as these two, they just might make it out alive. She stomped on their ankles to discourage them from getting up anytime soon.

Holly cried out on her right. The man holding her had a knife to her throat, but the girl was struggling so much he wasn't prepared for Vals nails digging into the veins of his wrist. He dropped the knife and used his free hand to punch Holly in the gut. The girl collapsed, gasping. Valkyrie was tempted to send her lightning into him, but she wasn't sure if it would even work, and she was definitely sure magic was not a normal thing in this reality. Holly had made it clear there was something going on, and not knowing what it was meant that she already stood out more than she should. Fisticuffs it is, then.

Not being able to trust her foot, however, was an issue.

The man came for her. He landed a few blows, but at least that was one thing her world could defend her against, thanks to Ghastly. She blocked and dodged what she could, but even though this man was no Skulduggery, he was ruthless and cunning and that made him absolutely dangerous. She'd gotten lucky with the first few.

She started to get a few hits in, and then her fingers jabbed his eye. Instead of backing off, he came at her with a greater intensity. For a moment she forgot her nasty blue foot and instinct took over - they became a mess of elbows and jabs, hits and knees. He flipped her over his hip and she landed on her side, the knife inches from her fingers. She grabbed it and rolled before he could finish her. Back on her feet, she slashed. It was a lucky hit. The knife raked across his already injured eye, scarring the left side of his face. One hand desperately tried to stem the bleeding, the other hand blindly lashing out. With a grunt, she smashed her free palm into his jaw and he stayed down.

Shoulders heaving, gasping for breath, she looked around to see how the others were faring. Holly had recovered for the most part and was digging canisters out of her bag. Val hoped they were more of those flash bombs. The other girl was being dragged away, kicking and screaming, by two of the men. A tall boy with red hair and obnoxious goggles fenced with a stout man. She could tell the redhead was highly skilled, and he seemed to have the upper hand despite the ferocity of his attacker. The same could not be said for the boy-with-bad-aim. Val watched as Holly began to toss the flash bombs at his attacker, but the proximity between the two made it difficult to keep from hitting the boy. Holly lobed another flash bomb at the redhead's thug. The last boy - the leader - was using his delicate sword to fend off two hitmen with crowbars. It was rather impressive, if she was being honest.

Six men left. Val was amazed that the commotion didn't draw any of the building's occupants out of the house.

Val heard the fat boy give a cry as he toppled to the the ground. She moved to defend him but the hitman was already heading toward the group attacking the leader. He seemed to be the main objective, followed by the girl. By this time the redhead had found a way to beat his attacker and intercepted the thug.

Holly rushed to check on what's his face, murmuring platitudes, as Val began to hobble for the other girl. She picked up a rock on her way, shouted to get their attention, and chucked it at one man's feet. It was enough of a distraction for the girl to wrench out of his grip. She bit the other man, but he didn't let go.

Sirens wailed nearby. Someone, thankfully, had called for help.

Most of the hitmen immediately relented and ran off in different directions. One of the men attacking the leader, however, dodged the boy and ran straight toward Valkyrie. She put her arms up, ready to dodge the crowbar, but he ignored her. Instead, he went for the man with the blade in his shoulder.

Valkyrie knew what was coming, but there was no way she'd be able to move fast enough to stop it. She was already too far away.

The other four men - the ones she had left lying on the ground, whimpering in pain - had only just started to recover. The hitman Val assumed was in charge of the operation made quick work of stabbing each one in the throat before dashing around the corner and out of sight.

Thirty seconds later, the emergency cars screeched to a halt


	3. Chapter 3: Not lying

Val woke the next morning in a lumpy bed that had folded out of the wall of a living room. She could hear tea being made through the wall. Last night, she pretended to be more dazed than she actually was in an effort to keep the authorities from questioning her too closely. The other girl - Lucy - had lied and told the adults that Val was her older sister, Mary Carlyle. The sun had started to rise by the time all was said and done. A cab was called to take the group home. Val didn't correct everyone's assumption that she'd be staying with the kids. The Leader said something about sticking together for safety, and since she didn't have anywhere else to go, and the kids were clearly not about to hurt her, she grabbed her boot and allowed herself to be carted away.

Brain still a foggy mess, Valkyrie did her best to remember what she'd learned last night. This world had ghosts, which adults can't see but kids can. She may have looked 19 like the other girl, but in reality she was closer to 26, so that would explain why she hadn't seen the creature that attacked her. The kids she was staying with fought the ghosts, probably to keep them from causing everyone to go blue and dead. At least, death seemed to be the result which the medical staff from last night were trying to avoid. There was a group of authoritative adults, which the kids had called "Deep Rack." They didn't seem to be Guards, but at least they weren't Redhoods. Nonetheless, this world was bizarre.

She flexed her foot and peeked at it under the sheets. The swelling had gone down, but it was still a nasty, frosty blue. Only now she realized she didn't have Tanith's magic healing rocks.

"Give it another day or two, and it'll be back to normal." Lucy said as she entered the room, a guarded look on her face.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Val replied, trying to bring some humor into the conversation. It didn't work.

"I saw you appear. The others didn't. You came falling out of thin air. Literally _thin air_. They said you must have tripped, but they're wrong, aren't they?"

Val didn't see the point in lying. "Yes, they're wrong."

"Holly said you're not from here. Where _are_ you from then? The Other Side?"

"I don't know what that is, so probably not."

"It's where ghosts live. Lockwood and I were there a few months ago."

"Definately not then."

"I didn't think so. You're obviously not a ghost."

"Obviously."

"So, who are you?" It was almost an accusation, like Val was trying to ruin Lucy's life.

Val considered the question. This Other Side seemed like another dimension. Maybe it wouldn't be as far fetched to admit that she was from a different reality. Plus, if they'd been able to go to one dimension, they might be able to figure out how to get her home. Unlike last time, she was pretty sure Nadir had intended for her to go somewhere and stay put. There would be no echo trips. If she wanted to get home, she'd probably have to give Skulduggery all the help he could get. It's not like she had an extra skull lying around for him to make an Isthmus anchor out of.

"My name is Valkyrie. The simplest explanation I can give is that where I come from, people have magic, and one of those people is very good at travelling between dimensions. He doesn't like me. I think he meant to send me somewhere inhabitable, but it didn't work. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up in London since my partner and I found him in America, but...here I am."

Anger twisted the girl's face. "Do you think I'm stupid? That's ridiculous. You're lying."

Val sent white lightning dancing across her fingers. "I'm not."

Lucy paled. "You're not."

Sighing, Val sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She was too tired to get defensive at the moment, but the bruises from last night were starting to show. Soreness and hunger were also making their insidious way into her mood. If this girl kept acting like Val was a threat, Val might actually become one.

"Where are my clothes?" She'd borrowed something to sleep in, but the pile of her special fabrics was missing. Her boots remained by the door, where Lucy stood aghast.

"Holly is washing them."

"Right."

"I have a question."

"Only one?"

"Well...no, I have several."

"So what's the first one then?"

"What's the not-simple explanation?"

"A very long and rather painful story. If' I'm going to tell it, I only want to do so once."

"You mean you'll tell the others?"

"If I have to, yes. I want to go home. If there's any chance you'll be able to help me I'll take it. I know nothing about this world."

"How could we _possibly_ help you get to _another dimension_? We barely know how to get to the Other Side and even that is a vile, disastrous process."

Thankfully, Val had gotten used to hearing the word "vile" without flinching. But she missed her partner nonetheless. "I'm too hungry and sore to figure that out right now. Toss me that boot?"

"George is making tea and breakfast" Lucy said as she bent to grab the footwear, but the moment she held it, she seized up, gasping.

"Lucy, you alright there?"

The girl's eyes had glazed over, and she had a vacant expression on her face. Val walked over and waved a hand in front of her.

And then Lucy screamed.

"What's going on in here?" The Leader - Redwood? - came rushing in, followed by George.

"I have no idea - one moment, she was fine and the next…" Val had to shout to be heard over the girl's shrieks.

"Your boot - is there death attached to it?" George asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Lucy is Sensitive to Touch. She has the same look on her face when she's getting echos from the past. If there's a death attached to the object, she'll be able to Sense it. Sometimes, she'll even relive an event."

Aside from the fact that Valkyrie had been wearing those boots while wielding shadows and necromancy magic, she was pretty sure she'd killed and come close to being killed in those boots. If Lucy was reliving any one of those events…

"Get it out of her hands!" Val shouted, and made to grab the shoe. Before she got there, however, Lucy had dropped it. Her screams tapered off into whimpers, and she was shaking. Leader boy held her, softly whispering in her ear.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Val asked.

"I've never seen her so caught up before," muttered George. "Usually it's just a vacant expression, maybe some shakiness, but nothing like this. Has she ever shouted before, Lockwood?"

The book briefly glanced up to shake his head.

Lucy seemed to snap out of whatever state she was in, her head twisting to look Val in the eye. "Get out."

"What?"

"Luce, I'm sure -"

"Sure of what, Lockwood?! Because you didn't see her take down four of those thugs last night, and you certainly didn't see what I just saw...or feel what I just felt. She's a killer Lockwood. She could send all four of us to the other side with a smile on her face."

Ah… so she'd "felt echos" - whatever that meant - of Darquesse. Probably while Val was in the soul catcher. The last time she told this story she realized how farfetched it sounded, but the American had been through enough to believe her. If she even got a moment to explain, there was little chance they'd buy it.

The boys were looking at her with suspicion. Holly had just entered the room, confusion on her face once again. Lucy, however, was an odd mixture of terror and anger. She'd detached herself from the boy -Lockwood- and was standing in between Val and her friends, very obviously to protect them.

"Lucy," she started, "I haven't lied to you. It is a very long, very painful story. Can you trust me when I say that whatever you saw was probably only a small piece? Not to mention completely out of context."

The girl didn't say anything, but she still looked like she wanted to get a hit in before Val came for her friends.

"I can guess what you saw. And what you felt. And I am telling you there is a very good reason why that is misleading. I have not done anything to hurt you - any of you - and in case you don't remember I actually fought by your side last night. Where I come from, that means something."

Lockwood cleared his throat and said quietly, "Lucy, if you give the okay, I'd like to hear her out. But it's up to you. We all trust your Talent, and your judgement." He gave her a small smile.

A few tense moments passed as she looked from him to me, and then: "Fine. But if you try to tell me your evil twin stole your boots and went on a killing spree, I will slash you in two."

This might be harder than Valkyrie thought.


	4. Chapter 4: The Problem

They sat, stunned, once she'd finished. Since she didn't have several day's worth of a car ride to give the entire story, she stuck with the basics. Sill, it had taken a few hours, and George had been sure to keep a plateful of biscuits and donuts on the table, not to mention a pot of tea. He was also the one to ask a question every few minutes. It took several examples to convince him that her magic was real. He was also the one to break the stunned silence and suggest lunch.

"Wait a moment," Lucy said. "So you're telling me your evil twin stole your _body_ and went on a killing spree."

"Yes. Sort of. Basically."

"I don't have a choice but to believe you, do I?"

"I can't really force you."

"No, you can't."

"Shut up you."

"Excuse me?" Val asked.

"Not you," Lucy said, her head motioning towards the kitchen counter, "him." Valkyrie followed her gaze, but the only thing that caught her eye in that direction was what looked like a pile of towels. No...It was a vase or something, with a towel over it. Lucy was glaring at it. And then, to Valkyrie's utter confusion, she began to insult it.

"You'll have to excuse Lucy," Holly said. "She's the only person since the great Marissa Fittes to be able to hear Type Three ghosts. There's a skull in the jar there, and the specter attached to it is a real nasty piece of work."

"He heard that," Lucy interjected. Holly just made a face.

"So how does all this work then? The ghosts? The Other Side? Deep Rack? Does it all have to do with this problem you mentioned earlier?"

George immediately responded, setting down a tray of sandwiches. "The Problem - capital "P" - began about 50 years ago. No one knows for sure why. However, since then ghosts of all types have been unable to rest in peace, but instead haunt the living during the night. They are attached to what is called a Source, usually a piece of their bones or a cherished object. Finding and neutralizing the Source is the task of Talented Agents, children under the age of 20 with psychic sensitivity. Holly and I have average Talent, but Lockwood has the best Sight, and Lucy the best Listening and Touch. Those are the three standard categories. Adults who have lost their Talents often go on to be supervisors with the other Agencies. Lockwood and Co, however, does not have supervisors because they are generally useless cowards. You remember Kipps from last night? He's lost his psychic Sight, and for awhile he worked at the Fittes Agency as a supervisor. But we were able to acquire a pair of goggles that allows him to see ghosts, and he sometimes graces us with his presence. I'm in the process of making more of those goggles, of course.

"The Other Side, as we have come to call it, is where ghosts reside during the day. At night, however, a specter's Source acts as a kind of hole between the worlds, allowing them to cross over. A few months ago, we discovered an experiment of the Rotwell Agency. They had collected a vast amount of Sources, bound them in iron, and created a portal big enough for a person to walk right through. However, this stirred up a major outbreak of ghosts in the surrounding area, resulting in a staggering amount of people dying from Ghost Touch. We had to destroy it."

"So your world hasn't always been haunted?"

"No."

"What about my blue foot?"

"It was Ghost Touched. If Holly here hadn't given you a shot of adrenalin, it would have spread throughout your body and you would have died."

"Thanks for that, then. What about those hitmen?"

"We're not entirely sure, to be honest," Lockwood had snapped out of his reverie and rejoined the conversation. "Fittes has threatened us, but a group of thugs isn't really her style. This seems more like something Winkman would do."

"Right. If I help you sort out the situation with that Winkman fellow, do you think you can agree to help me find a way home? It might involve collecting a bunch of those Source thingys again."

Before anyone had a chance to answer, there was a knock on the door.

"Holly," Lockwood said, "please see to that. It's probably another client." The girl left the room, and the leader continued. His air of assurance and obvious obsession with his hair reminded her of Fletcher. "On behalf of this company, I want to express our gratitude for all of your help last night. If it wasn't for you, I doubt things would have ended in our favor. Your assistance was crucial. We would welcome help such as that should Winkman threaten us again.

"As for creating another portal, I don't think you understand just how incredibly dangerous that would be. I am also confident that the only place such a portal could lead is the Other Side. We are happy to help you, but I'm afraid we'll have to find another way. Collecting Sources simply is not an option."

...

Skullduggery was not having a good day. It had been almost a full 24 hours and he had yet to figure out a way to get Valkyrie back. Good thing he didn't require sleep.

Nadir, on the other hand, was fading fast. He claimed that because Val had somehow "interfered" with his shunting, he could no longer trace where he'd sent her. China however had kept tags on Creyfon Signate. She also volunteered some Sanctuary goons to research the situation. Signate confirmed that another's magic could absolutely affect the destination of a shunt, even though the researchers had come up with nothing.

Shunting, it seemed, would not be an option.

That meant he'd have to find some way to use an Isthmus Anchor. Valkyrie, unfortunately, did not have a spare bone lying around somewhere. He'd have to get creative…


	5. Chapter 5: The Visitor

Val sat in an iron circle, bored. At least there was tea and biscuits. The fat one had eaten all of the chocolates. She wasn't really cut out to be a bodyguard.

She'd gone with Lucy, George, and Lockwood to their latest house. They explored the small dwelling and decided that the landing by the front door was the best place for their base of operations. While the others did their jobs in the various parts of the house, taking readings and touching things in order to combat the Visitor, Val sat ready to defend them against any humans that might want to kill them. Holly and Kipps had stayed at 35, Portland Row to "keep an eye on things." Val suspected otherwise, but didn't say anything.

Even though her own job was no cakewalk, what these kids did every night was...eerie. Despite the protection of the iron, which George had assured her was perfectly effective, she could still feel the chill in the air and the sensation of being watched. The other signs of spectral presence were there too: the bad smell, the feeling of despair, the pressing darkness. It wasn't until after they'd left the house that George thought to give Val the special goggles, but there was no point in going all the way back to Portland Row for them. Thus, she sat, blind to the danger yet keenly aware of it. Doing her best to ignore all this, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her foot.

Healing may not have been her magical area of expertise, but she remembered some of the basics from her evil days. Darquess had healed herself so often it was almost an afterthought. While Valkyrie had nowhere near that kind of power, there were a few basic things she could do. She focused on applying those things to her foot, and was elated to find it getting marginally better. She'd been doing this on and off all day. By the time they'd left for this client's house, she could walk on it.

But it was still blue.

Apparently, the kids were having a successful night. It didn't take long for them to track down the Visitor attached to a teacup that had been left by the previous owner. It only took them a few minutes to pack everything away, and they the house phone to call for a night cab.

Valkyrie followed them wearily out the door as the others chatted cheerily about the speed with which they'd completed the job. If tonight went anything like last night, they were about to be bombarded by hitmen.

"Guys…" Lucy said, her voice lowering into a whisper. "I think I hear something."

"Is it just me, or has it gotten colder?" George asked.

"There!" Lockwood shouted. "A man, coming this way. Do you see him?"

"I see him," said George. "What do you think? We can't let him be here when the night cab pulls up or they'll take off and leave us-"

"Hold on, just one moment," Lucy interrupted. "I think he's saying something."

"It can't be anything intelligible, can it?" Lockwood asked.

Lucy had paled. "Val...he's saying your name."

"What? Why would he be saying my name?"

"He says his name is Gassy."

"Ghastly?!"

"Yes. Ghastly Bespoke. He has a message for you."

Val's heart raced. This was a world where the dead could return. Her eyes were beginning to water. "Wh-what does he want to say?"

"He says...find the Sanctuary. Ask for… Quantum Res."

"There are Sanctuaries in this dimension?"

"He says 'No. There is only one Sanctuary, in London. The same place in our world.'"

"Ghastly...I…" Val was too stunned to speak

Lucy's voice was sad as she related his next words. "Valkyrie -this is him talking- feeling sorry for me is not going to get you home. All the dead can feel the necromancers planning something. Skulduggery will need you."

"I know, I know, but...But Tanith-"

"Will move on eventually. The reality is, someday all of you will be in the same place I am. Don't rush into it."

"I won't."

"I have no way of communicating with Skulduggery, but unless he does something really, really clever, Quantum is your only hope."

"Okay," Valkyrie sniffled. "Is this goodbye then? Until I die?"

Lucy paused. "He's laughing," she said finally. "He says, 'of course not! Those boots are like an Isthmus Anchor. As long as you're in this world, I can find you. I don't need to go anywhere.' He - er - he say's you're such a drama queen."

…

Skulduggery handed Fletcher a hairbrush.

"Er...what is this?"

"It's a hair brush."

"I see that."

"It's not mine."

"I see that."

"It's Valkyrie's."

"... why do you have Val's hair brush."

"Because, in your hands, it's not just a hair brush."

"It still looks like a hairbrush."

"But it's not."

"What is it then?"

"An Isthmus Anchor."

"Right. Great. Now what?"

"We pay a visit to Finbar. He tells us where to go to open the portal. We teleport there, you and China open the portal, Tanith and I retrieve my partner. Simple. It shouldn't take more than a few hours."

It took more than a few hours.


	6. Chapter 6: The Switch

It took all of Valkyrie's self control last night not to knock those kids out and force them into the cab. They were all excited at the prospect of visiting the Sanctuary with Val right that minute, but if it was anything like the places in her reality, she knew it would be closed this time of night. George especially kept thinking of new questions for Ghastly and would interrupt the conversation to beg Lucy to ask him about the afterlife and the Other Side. Her dead friend faded away until they returned to the house to keep them safe from Ghost Touch. The ride home was unimaginably tense - they didn't want the driver gossiping about what he may or may not have overheard, but she could tell they were dying to discuss what had just happened. Apparently, sentient _and_ friendly ghosts were all but nonexistent.

Quietly, she crept out of the house into the dewy morning. She had barely been able to steal a donut from the kitchen. George had fallen asleep at the table, the "Thinking Cloth," as they called it, covered in a variety of new scribbles and diagrams. The others at least had the wherewithal to return to their rooms, but she didn't want to take any chances as she gently closed the door.

She'd had to steal money from the office for cab fare, scribbling a note to Holly so she would at least know where the change had gone. Val was pretty sure that there would be no need for her to return to the house once she'd gotten in touch with Res. The note also said goodbye.

Trying not to feel as though she was abandoning them to the Winkman's, she walked along the street until she found a corner store. Once inside, she called for a cab and waited to be picked up. The buns in the window of the store looked familiar - the kids probably came here all the time.

Thankfully, she'd had a moment (mostly) alone with Ghastly before going to bed. He was able to give her the address through Lucy, and some advice with how to deal with Quantum Res.

It was only when the cabbie pulled up alongside the building that she realized she'd never actually seen the front door, let alone gone through it. The only time she'd been here was to retrieve the engineer's prototype memory, so Tanith had shown them a backdoor. They had to pretend they were kidnapping the Grand Mage in order to pull it off. She smiled to herself at the memory.

It took some convincing, but the administrator of the Sanctuary finally let her in after the third death threat.

And a jolt of lightening to the face.

His eyebrows may have been a little singed.

She was asked to wait in a small room that looked suspiciously like an interrogation chamber, but they were courteous enough to provide her with a cuppa. She was informed that they would be contacting Quantum, but in the meantime Elder Lillith Barke has requested to speak with her. With nothing else to do, Valkyrie consented.

Elder Barke was a tall, willowy woman with soft and creamy blond hair. Her eyes were an unnatural green, but her thin face seemed friendly enough. Once she had moved around the table to face Valkyrie, that is.

"Hello," she said with a smile. "As you have been informed, my name is Elder Barke. I am told you are Valkyrie Cain, is that correct?"

"Yep."

"And who exactly are you, Valkyrie?"

"I am a mage from another dimension. I was shunted here by a man named Silas Nadir, and I was hoping you, or this Quantum person, could help me get back."

"I see. How long have you been here?"

"About two days. I ran into some kids - they call themselves Lockwood and Company - who sort of took me in."

"We are familiar with that group. Did you, by chance, have anything to do with the attack on them the other night?"

"I was there when it happened, yes. I was able to take a few of the hitmen down, but it was their leader who killed them. If I hadn't been there to cause a commotion, it looks as though the five kids would have been kidnapped. Or killed."

"I am sure they are grateful for your assistance."

"They have expressed their gratitude in the form of pastries. And the cab fare here."

"And what, pray tell, do they know of you and your magic?"

Valkyrie hesitated. "Most of it. They mentioned going to that Other Side dimension, and I thought they might be able to help me. But then one of the kids - Lucy, her name is - touched my boot and saw some pretty … inexplicable things. It was talk or be kicked out with no other lead. I didn't realize at the time that there was a Sanctuary in this dimension."

The woman sighed. "I'll send a Sensative to deal with their memories. If they were your only lead, how did you find us?"

"This is going to sound strange, but a dead friend from my reality was able to use my boots as a kind of Isthmus Anchor - I think it's because he made them for me. He had to speak through Lucy though, because I can't see ghosts. Apparently she has a real talent for hearing Visitors."

"Interesting…"

"If you don't mind, Elder Barke, I have a few questions of my own."

"Ask away."

"Ghastly, the friend who made my boots, said that this is the only Sanctuary in this entire reality. Why is that?"

"Ah. That is because we, like you, are from another dimension. Unfortunately, in our original world, an evil mage named Mevolent rose to power, intending to bring back the Ancients. Are you familiar with those gods?"

"Unfortunately. Mevolent was unsuccessful in my reality, but I was sent to one in which he had succeeded a few years back. It was unpleasant."

"Unpleasant is putting it lightly. And ironically, but that's a matter for another discussion. In an effort to save ourselves, Quantum's father, Focus Glass, brought a number of us to this reality for safety. We were mostly children who had yet to undergo the Surge, along with some parents. Unfortunately, by the time we grew up, Glass had passed away and we were unable to find our way home. My mother forced me to come with the others Glass was attempting to save, even though I was only a year away from my Surge. We have done our best to maintain the traditions, but up until 50 years ago, there was not much to protect the mortals from."

"What do you mean?"

Barke sighed. "Two of our Sensitives took it upon themselves to find a way home. This resulted in the Problem - the wearing away between the worlds of the living and the world of the dead. Most of what we've been up to these past few decades is an attempt to fix what they have done."

"I see...what was that comment about your reality being 'unpleasant'?"

A small smile formed, but it was a sad one. "It's barely worth explaining. Just a personal irony, really. My best friend's father's name was Pleasant. Everyone in that family was murdered - Pleasant, his wife... and my friend." She got a far off look on her face, her eyes staring into the past instead of at Valkyrie, so she didn't notice the girl go pale. "But Pleasant came back. I don't think even he knew how it happened. I never saw him after he died, but they say he was only a skeleton. And for a short time the rest of us had hope that we could defeat Mevolent. But… Pleasant disappeared. Not even his best friends and fellow soldiers knew where he was. After that it seemed like everything went downhill for us. Mevolent found a new general - Lord Vile, if that name gives you any idea of what he was like - and my family decided it was time to leave for safety. In my childish worldview, it felt like losing Pleasant for a second time was the final nail in the coffin. So you can see why that world would be, pun intended, unpleasant."

"I know Skulduggery." Val said, after a moment. Upon hearing his name, the woman blinked and refocused on Val.

"You do?"

"He's my partner. In my world, he came back. Mevolent and his generals were defeated...It was a happy ending, as far as wars go."

She sat, considering Val's words.

"Do you think...once we've sorted out the Problem here...that your Sanctuaries would let us come home?"

"I have no idea, but the Grand Mage of the Irish Sanctuary is a friend of mine. I can ask her."

"I would be grateful for that. Now that we are grown, many of us are ashamed at what our parents did, even if it was to protect us. I will instruct Quantum Res to check in on you every now and then. Once Shunters learn a frequency, it becomes a simple thing for them to travel between them. It's an added bonus we know your world is hospitable."

"Excuse me, Elder Barke, we have a bit of a situation." The Administrator said, knocking on the door as he entered the room, feigning courtesy. He obviously still didn't like Valkyrie.

"What is it this time?"

"There's a group of children here - the ones who work for that independent agency - who claim they know our guest."

Elder Barke looked quizzically at Val, who shrugged.

"I got the address here from my friend through Lucy, the Listener. I wouldn't have been able to find you otherwise."

"I see…Mr. Plum, please send for Opus. I'm sure he'll be able to handle them."

"Right away, Elder Barke."

"Valkyrie, it has been a pleasure to meet you. I would love to hear of your adventures with Skulduggery… You must be quite remarkable for him to be partnered with you."

"I like to think it's the other way around."

The Elder chuckled. "I will send in Mr. Res the moment he returns, but for now I must attend to my other duties."

"I'll be sure to check with the Grand Mage for you. But can I ask you for a favor?"

"That depends on what it is."

"It's about the attack on Lockwood and Co. Do you have someone you can spare to keep an eye on them? They seem to believe a man named Winkman is behind it all."

"I'll see what I can do. We try to stay out of mortal affairs."

"I understand. It's just that… they saved my life. I'd hate for them to be assassinated."

"I cannot make any promises. Those kids have already proven to be resilient. I doubt they'll need much."

With that, the woman left.

Val sat for about 30 seconds before getting bored. She had come to feel protective for the little group - they might have even become her friends under different circumstances. Stewing in frustration, the wait felt like hours. She was about to get up and explore the building when a man walked in.

"You?" He'd said, flabbergasted.

Val recognized the man from the bar who'd been arguing with Silas Nadir. The one who reminded her of Snape.

"Me."

"Who are you?"

"I just said, I'm Me. Detective Inspector Me."

"Nice try. That's what the other guy said. Your friend from the bar."

"He's not very creative, so he thinks it's okay to steal my name. Can you take me home please?"

"Whatever. Fine. Yes, I can take you home. But if we leave from London we'll end up in Russia and I'd rather not deal with their Sanctuary right now. We'll have go to Cleveland first."

"Why does that matter?"

"Getting in and out of this dimension requires that we go through the Other Side - the ghost dimension - so placement is misaligned. It's why no other shunter could get home, but I figured it out."

"Atta boy. You realize I've been asked to see if my Sanctuary will allow your friends to return, right? Elder Barke seems eager to go home."

"She's a fool. Do you know what kind of mess your world is in right now? Were you living under a rock during that whole Darquess business? Or the war between the Sanctuaries? Your world is disastrous. The Problem is _nothing_ compared to that madness."

"Don't insult my home, and I won't bring up your hair."

"There is nothing wrong with my hair. Besides, they don't actually remember that world. Their parents sent them away. I'll go through all that trouble to bring everyone over and they'll just be begging me to take them back home after five minutes."

"I still think you should give them the choice."

"Whatever. You have no right to an opinion on this. Now shut up while I call my friend to teleport us to Cleveland." He huffed off to the phone in the next room.

Eight minutes later, Valkyrie travelled from London, to Cleveland, to her own London, and into the Irish Sanctuary. Res and his friend made quite the traveling duo.

Finally, she was home.

If only she'd gotten there two minutes earlier …

…

China's student was having some trouble getting the symbols right.

Which meant Tanith was having some trouble keeping her temper in check.

Finally, Fletcher was given the go-ahead to open the portal.

"Be sure to open it again in one hour," Skulduggery muttered.

Fletcher grunted in response. They'd been over this.

With a final glance back at the student, Skulduggery and Tanith jumped through and landed just outside the London Sanctuary.

Sighing, the world's last teleporter let the gate close. He put the hair brush on the ground and tried to strike up a conversation with China's student. She was kind of cute.

The student however, just looked nervous. Fletcher had no idea why, right up until a black bag was shoved over his head.

...

My ego craves reviews almost as much as Skulduggery craves the last word. Please let me know what you think.


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